Can Babies Eat Veggie Burgers?
Homemade from around 9 months. Shop bought, read the label. Veggie burger is not a description of a food, it is a description of a shape. One product might be mashed beans and vegetables, the next a heavily processed patty saltier than beef. There is no useful general answer, which is itself the useful answer: check the packet.
The veggie burger aisle has expanded enormously, and with it the assumption that anything plant based must be the healthier choice. For a baby that assumption is worth checking, because salt is the thing that matters most in the first two years and it appears just as readily in a vegetable patty as in a beef one. The homemade version takes twenty minutes and sidesteps the whole question.
Two very different products
At one end are burgers made from beans, lentils, grains and vegetables, held together with oats or egg. At the other are meat substitute products built from isolated soy or pea protein, methylcellulose, flavourings and coconut oil, engineered to behave like beef. Both are sold as veggie burgers. Only the first is really a vegetable dish.
Our beans and lentils pages cover the ingredients a good veggie burger is built from.
How much they vary
Three products from the same supermarket shelf, and a homemade patty for comparison:
| Per 100 g | Salt | Suits a baby |
|---|---|---|
| Homemade bean patty | Trace | Yes, from 9 months |
| Simple vegetable burger | 0.5 to 0.8 g | Occasionally, from 12 months |
| Meat substitute burger | 1.0 to 1.8 g | Better after 2 years |
| Beef burger, for comparison | 0.8 to 1.2 g | Occasionally, from 12 months |
Indicative ranges. Under 12 months the total daily salt limit is 1 g, and for toddlers about 2 g. Source: USDA FoodData Central.
When can babies have them?
Homemade early, shop bought later and with the label checked:
Bean or lentil patties with no added salt, baked rather than fried, and cut into finger width strips. These freeze well, which is the real advantage.
A simple vegetable burger occasionally, once the daily allowance rises to about 2 g. Serve without the bun and ketchup for a young toddler.
Meat substitute burgers are best treated like any other processed convenience food: fine sometimes, not a staple.
Plant based does not mean low salt: this is the single most useful thing to know here. Many meat substitute products are engineered to taste like meat, and salt is a large part of how that is achieved. Check the figure per 100 g rather than assuming, and see our salt guide for what the numbers mean at each age.
Soft bean and sweet potato burgers
Sweet potato keeps these soft, which matters more than it sounds for a baby:
Soft bean and sweet potato burgers
Makes 6 small burgers, from 9 monthsIngredients
- 400 g tin black beans, no added salt, drained
- 1 small sweet potato, cooked and mashed
- 4 tablespoons oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Method
- Heat the oven to 200 C and line a baking tray.
- Mash the beans thoroughly, then mix with the sweet potato, oats and cumin.
- Shape into small flat patties and brush both sides with the olive oil.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning halfway, then cool and cut into strips.
Risks and safety
Allergens are the first thing to check, since veggie burgers commonly contain wheat, soy, egg, milk, nuts or sesame, often several at once. That makes a shop bought burger a poor place to introduce any of them for the first time.
Salt is the second, as covered above. On texture, some patties are dry and crumbly, which is difficult for a baby to clear, so serve them with something moist alongside and cut into strips rather than giving a whole one. Skip the bun for a young baby, since burger buns are soft enough to compress into a ball in the mouth, and skip the ketchup, which our tomato sauce page notes is around a quarter sugar.
Veggie burgers FAQ
Can babies eat veggie burgers?
Homemade ones from around 9 months, cut into strips. Shop bought veggie burgers vary enormously: some are essentially mashed beans and vegetables, others are heavily processed and saltier than a beef burger. The category tells you nothing useful, so the label is what matters.
Are veggie burgers healthier than beef burgers?
Not automatically. Plant based does not mean low salt, and many meat substitute burgers designed to mimic beef contain as much salt and saturated fat, sometimes more. A simple bean and vegetable burger is a genuinely good food for a baby. A processed one is a processed food that happens to contain no meat.
What should I look for on the label?
Salt first: aim for under 0.6 g per 100 g if you can, and treat anything over 1.5 g as high. Then check the allergens, since veggie burgers commonly contain wheat, soy, egg, milk or nuts. Finally look at what the first ingredient actually is, because that tells you what you are buying.
How do I serve a veggie burger to a baby?
Cut it into finger width strips rather than serving a whole patty or a bun. Check the texture is soft rather than firm and crumbly, since dry patties are hard for a baby to clear. Skip the bun, ketchup and cheese early on, all of which add salt and sugar.
Sources
- Veggie burger, Wikipedia.
- Salt in your diet, NHS.
- FoodData Central, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Every baby is different. Talk to your doctor, health visitor or paediatrician about your own baby, and about starting solids or any allergy concerns.
